Powerball $100m Next Week Are You Playing

Trying2SaveABuck on 28/07/2023 - 21:42
Last edited 28/07/2023 - 21:53

Just a quick poll on the OZbargain communities willingness to dream/waste money like i do on these tickets - now i know playing powerball and lotto in general is an 'silly tax' but i think the 20-30bucks i spend a ticket gives me 1 week to dream of what life would be like if all my financial problems where gone [which is like 95 percent of my problems]

Anyway the poll is simply will you play Powerball next week to try and win a piece of the 100m dollar prize….. apprently the last 100m prize pool had 1 in 2 Australian Adults purchase a ticket

bonus question if you want to say what you plan to do if you win the entire jackpot [becuz i always find it fun hearing other peoples dreams]

fun story - had a patient tell me her brother in law spent 6k on tickets in the last 100m draw….he won 42 dollars back…[just a reminder gamble responsibly]

for those who are playing i wish you luck

for the record - if i won the entire jackpot i'm buying this joint https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-qld-surfers… and you're all welcome to come party with me, beers on me

Poll Options

  • 346
    You bet im playing - got to be in it to win it
  • 261
    No im not buying a ticket - lotto's an idiot tax
Entertainment

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 28/07/2023 - 21:47
    +11

    Na

    • [Deactivated] on 30/07/2023 - 14:24
      +15

      Play over here for free

      • cobknob on 30/07/2023 - 23:25

        Have you won in the simulation top division?

        • quog on 31/07/2023 - 15:13
          -1

          the simulation is a biased product.

        • Pinchy on 31/07/2023 - 15:18
          +4

          I just did it and won the jackpot on a system 10. But spent a few mil to get there lol

          • Usemame on 31/07/2023 - 21:15

            @Pinchy: Only if you bought few mils of real tickets
            You have just lost $90m+ :'(

        • blehgg on 01/08/2023 - 15:05

          Simulation results

          Spent
          $100,123,366.10
          Won
          $2,493,550.60
          Win/Loss
          -$97,629,815.50
          Balance
          $184.50

          No - :D

        • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2023 - 10:08

          Never.

  • SBOB on 28/07/2023 - 21:49
    +62

    with odds of about 1 in 76 million, the difference between the odds of winning with a ticket or without is pretty much a rounding error.

    But if the ~$6 ticket cost gives you 10mins of mental health dream 'what if' time, then i guess thats something :)

      • SBOB on 28/07/2023 - 22:08
        +101

        Nah, I'm the one at parties who can afford the next round of drinks because I didn't spend it on pokies or Powerball tickets ;)

          • SBOB on 28/07/2023 - 23:07
            +29

            @Iwantthebestprice:

            let’s give the people hope

            Hope is for people that don't understand maths :)

            If your hopes, happiness, and dreams are based on something that has a 1 in 75 million odds, a reality check is the least of your worries

            • Iwantthebestprice on 28/07/2023 - 23:21
              -4

              @SBOB: I agree. But the constant news arrivals of the battlers who have won millions playing the lottery continue to play out regardless of the maths involved

              • SydStrand on 29/07/2023 - 18:17
                +8

                @Iwantthebestprice: That's the same distorted happiness that comes out of a bottle. If the media was reporting honestly, those stories would be dwarfed by millions of stories of those same 'battlers' blowing money they can't afford, while simultaneously bemoaning the cost of living.

            • Protractor on 29/07/2023 - 10:09

              @SBOB: If hope is for losers, I'd hate to think how deep in the swamp the believers in 'faith' dwell

          • mboy on 29/07/2023 - 23:17
            +3

            @Iwantthebestprice: Nah the whole “hope” argument is weak. I don’t think it’s healthy for a person to derive hope from the prospect of something outrageously unlikely, and completely out of their control, happening.

            And that cuts both ways: it’s also unhealthy to derive fear from something outrageously unlikely happening. We call those irrational fears. Maybe we should call the former irrational hope.

        • jjjaar on 28/07/2023 - 22:33
          +8

          Don’t waste your money by shouting drinks for people that are irresponsible with their money…

        • iforgotmysocks on 29/07/2023 - 08:18

          What about keno surely you’d have a crack at keno

      • [Deactivated] on 30/07/2023 - 03:21

        You must be great at giving unsolicited terrible financial, life advice and false hope at parties and then crawling under a rock when things go wrong because you you.

    • MagicMushroom on 28/07/2023 - 23:37
      +3

      Might as well try to dig some gold at your house

    • Stopback on 29/07/2023 - 08:50

      Odds of winning any Prize 1 in 50.

      Participation prize gets so many people.

      Hey at least I won something back. Next time.

      • Trying2SaveABuck on 29/07/2023 - 18:57
        +1

        i think most people end up just re-gambling in the next draw

        however in this case i dare say 2nd division will be paying over 200k that is a lot of money for most people - maybe even 'somewhat' life changing

        it is still a waste of money but i just had to add that

    • Ugly on 29/07/2023 - 09:00
      +28

      Mathematically it’s infinitely better odds to have 1 ticket instead of zero tickets. 😀

      • netjock on 29/07/2023 - 09:17

        This is the correct answer. First you got to get a ticket then it is a case of how many lines you buy. But then most people focus on the fact they didn't win. Like in business podcasts they say taking action is actually the beginning of something. If you take no action at all nothing else comes after it.

      • SBOB on 29/07/2023 - 10:12
        +1

        Mathematically it’s infinitely better odds to have 1 ticket instead of zero tickets

        indeed, though as a percentage to 6 decimal points the odds difference for powerball jackpot
        without or with a ticket: 0.000000% chance of winning vs approx 0.000001% chance of winning
        hence the joke about rounding error.

      • JIMB0 on 29/07/2023 - 11:11

        Gotta be in it to win it.

        • Yorkshire-Man on 29/07/2023 - 17:35
          +1

          That's literally their old marketing slogan.

      • ssfps on 30/07/2023 - 01:55
        +2

        Not really
        - You could win division 1 then Australia explodes in a meteor-induced fireball
        - An unregistered ticket blows under your front door and it happens to win the jackpot
        - A boltzmann brain event occurs wherein a ticket materialists due to random quantum fluctuations

        Those are all less likely than buying a ticket and winning, but the difference is basically a rounding error.

      • lunartemis on 30/07/2023 - 07:11

        And if you buy 2 tickets, you doubled your chance of winning. You can safely rule out the chance of the winning numbers to be 1-7.

      • smartazz104 on 01/08/2023 - 07:20

        So buy 2 tickets and double your odds!

    • LlamaFace on 29/07/2023 - 16:05
      +5

      Anytime it gets into silly numbers I'll plonk down some money for a ticket, mainly for just this reason. The daydreams are fun and given it's always a really high number I engage in some enjoyable thought experiments.

    • mboy on 29/07/2023 - 17:20
      +2

      If the odds are indeed 1 in 76 million with one ticket, then these odds are roughly similar to flipping a coin 26 times and the coin landing on heads each of the 26 times.

      Give a try and see how close you get.

      I said roughly, because the chances of hitting 26 consecutive heads is actually 1 in 67 million. So slightly better odds compared to the lottery.

      • Spic3y on 29/07/2023 - 19:19
        +3

        And if you don't flip a coin at all, the chances of getting 26 in a row are even lower

      • nobro25 on 30/07/2023 - 07:13
        -5

        That's a bad example. Each consecutive flip isn't correlated to the previous flip. The previous flip has no bearing or weight to the results of the current flip.

        • DingoBilly on 30/07/2023 - 08:35
          +4

          I'm not sure you understand stats… It's the chances of flipping 26 heads in a row, so the example is right. And it's an easy thing to test at home to see just how unlikely it is.

      • CommuterPolluter on 30/07/2023 - 12:26

        The difference is that nobody is going to give me $100 million if that happens.

        • mboy on 31/07/2023 - 10:24

          I will, if you give me $5 every time you try.
          Statistically speaking, you'll pay me $335m before you win.

    • Michael1983 on 29/07/2023 - 19:34
      +3

      The problem is that when I'm thinking of what I'll do in the future if I win - the possible outcomes are a bit bleak and probably won't bring me happiness anyway.

    • GregRust on 30/07/2023 - 06:52
      +2

      Sorry to disappoint you, but the odds of having the winning combination are actually 1 in 134,490,400.

    • dazza826 on 30/07/2023 - 10:41
      +2

      The odds of winning Division 1 of Powerball are 134,490,400 to 1 for every standard game.

      The odds of winning Division 9 of Powerball (lowest div) are 66 to 1 for every standard game.

      Chucked on a 4 game online, $5.40.

      Probably no prize won but gotta be in it to win it.

    • cameldownunder on 30/07/2023 - 16:11

      This is what, the same chance that while you are driving over the spit bridge, a Airbus A320 crashes into you, drags the car under water, and you manage to escape the sinking car, only to be eaten by a bull shark, while you are having a heart attack? And then the your brain gets beamed up, by aliens passing by.

      • capslock on 31/07/2023 - 09:37
        +3

        No. What you describe has not and will never happen but it was only last month that someone in Australia won $100m in Powerball.

        • cameldownunder on 31/07/2023 - 20:16

          Someone ? Or a huge syndicate playing for tens of thousands ? Makes a huge difference.

    • Zondor on 30/07/2023 - 18:19
      +1

      I like using it as an excuse to design new houses in the sims.

    • AnophthalmiaCervidae on 31/07/2023 - 16:09
      +3

      1 in 76767600 was the old odds (6/40 regular balls, 1/20 power ball), that was before they changed it in April 2018
      It is now 7/35 regular balls, 1/20 power ball so the current odds are 1 in 134490400

      At $1.35 per game you could theoretically get enough tickets to cover every combination, (notwithstanding the logistics in purchasing ~134 million tickets, and besides it being against the terms and conditions) for $178.2 million, so even if if no-one else wins the first division, and with the thousands of lower division prizes you still wouldn't make a positive return on this one.

    • AlanHB on 01/08/2023 - 10:00

      While I agree that the chances are miniscule, it's not logical to then say the chances of winning are the same for a person with a ticket versus one without. The person without a ticket will 100% not win, while the other has a miniscule/negligible chance of winning, meaning the person with a ticket has infinitely more chances of winning.

      You could compare it to winning a race that you participate in versus not, or applying for a job versus not. Again obviously the chances of winning for these examples are much higher versus a lotto ticket, but the rationale remains the same - you gotta be in it to win it.

      Otherwise I've never bought a lotto ticket before ever :)

    • T3J on 01/08/2023 - 17:01
      +1

      True story, at work we had a sweep and I asked the finance guy if he was in it and he gave me the 'you know, the odds of winning are blah blah, nah im not'… That night we won 1 Million dollars. The look on his face the next day when i asked him what he thought the odds were was golden…

      • AlanHB on 02/08/2023 - 09:44
        +1

        Congrats on the win! That's a great illustration of what my point is - if you had not bought a ticket you wouldn't have won your million dollars. Similarly if nobody bought tickets, nobody would win.

        (I get that you're likely being sarcastic, but hopefully you do understand that in terms of comparative chances, 1 is a lot higher than 0.)

        • T3J on 08/08/2023 - 17:42
          -1

          Cheers Alan, My statement above is 100% true.. I know its the modern internet and you cant believe a thing but honestly this is a true story.. One I've told an chuckled about many times since.

  • soan papdi on 28/07/2023 - 22:00
    +3

    apprently the last 100m prize pool had 1 in 2 Australian Adults purchase a ticket

    If we assume an average ticket at $15, number of adults is say 40% of the population, this is a revenue of 10m people times $15, that’s $150m! It’s jackpot time every week for the lottery owners.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 29/07/2023 - 21:12

      If we assume an average ticket at $15, number of adults is say 40% of the population, this is a revenue of 10m people times $15, that’s $150m! It’s jackpot time every week for the lottery owners.

      of course but the probably give another 30-40 or so million in the other prize pools

      • soan papdi on 29/07/2023 - 22:58
        +1

        That’s easily offset by the almost-zero prize money handed out when the jackpot was $5-80m

  • Iwantthebestprice on 28/07/2023 - 22:03
    +9

    With odds of 1 in 76 million you bet I will be playing!

    • hasher22 on 29/07/2023 - 02:02
      +1

      If you have the cash, always get a powerhit. 134,490,400:1 of winning

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 29/07/2023 - 09:45

        checks ticket history

        Sigh

      • pav on 02/08/2023 - 10:36

        There isn't anything special about a powerhit, you're just buying 20 games (same set of numbers with each of the possible powerballs). The cost per game is the same as the other options. The only difference is they might upsell you from buying 18 games to 20 games since it's a small difference in price for what feels like a better chance of winning.

    • Stopback on 29/07/2023 - 07:03
      -2

      Want to make money off the lottery, buy a sydincafe for friends

      And just pay out if it wins but don't buy the tickets

      • Randolph Duke on 31/07/2023 - 11:50
        +1

        You should self insure your motor vehicles too.

  • JimmyF on 28/07/2023 - 22:05
    +8

    fun story - had a patient tell me her brother in law spent 6k on tickets in the last 100m draw….he won 42 dollars back…[just a reminder gamble responsibly]

    The house always wins…… The 'lotto' company always makes money out of these things.

    for the record - if i won the entire jackpot i'm buying this joint

    I love that every bedroom has its own toilet, but they still felt the need to include TWO standalone toilets basically opposite each other! The poor people in the 'outside' lounge/dining area have to walk all the way to the other end for a pitstop.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 28/07/2023 - 22:18

      I love that every bedroom has its own toilet, but they still felt the need to include TWO standalone toilets basically opposite each other! The poor people in the 'outside' lounge/dining area have to walk all the way to the other end for a pitstop.

      LMAO i'd mostly buy it for the view [or something like that] - my dream is to have a beach house/apartment with an amazing view

      • JimmyF on 28/07/2023 - 22:19
        +1

        Its a great view for sure! Just thought the two toilets next to each other at one end was a strange design choice!

        • Trying2SaveABuck on 28/07/2023 - 22:20

          a lot of foreigners buyers go for these im assuming it is feng shui thing ? maybe

        • Some Human on 28/07/2023 - 22:31

          His and hers crappers.

        • [Deactivated] on 29/07/2023 - 00:29
          -1

          Regular toilet plus a bidet.

          • JimmyF on 29/07/2023 - 14:10

            @[Deactivated]:

            Regular toilet plus a bidet.

            Nope, So the question is…..Did you bother to look at the floor plan? Yeah didn't think so.

            • [Deactivated] on 29/07/2023 - 14:24
              -2

              @JimmyF: Whoa!

              And because I'm in a matching rude kinda mood, I'm guessing you still think a non-service station take-away coffee is $2!

              • JimmyF on 29/07/2023 - 14:26

                @[Deactivated]:

                Whoa

                But the question still applies, did you look at the floor plan or not before adding your comment? As it is very clear on the floor plan its not a toilet plus a bidet, but two separate toilets.

                • [Deactivated] on 29/07/2023 - 14:30
                  -1

                  @JimmyF: Nope, the question is no longer applicable 'cause you, erroneously, answered it yourself in your previous comment.

                  • JimmyF on 29/07/2023 - 14:39

                    @[Deactivated]:

                    Nope

                    So my first reply was valid then…..

                    • [Deactivated] on 30/07/2023 - 22:32
                      -1

                      @JimmyF: Wrong again

      • lunartemis on 30/07/2023 - 07:31

        The estimated monthly mortgage repayment is higher than what i earn in a year…

    • Maxi Pad on 30/07/2023 - 06:00

      The house is clearly designed for entertaining. No one wants to invite guests into their bedroom to use the toilet.

      And no one likes waiting for that one friend who takes ages to poo.

    • tonka on 02/08/2023 - 01:27

      Yep, the centrepiece seems to be a public toilet block for their guests. Guess it's important to not to have to share a dunny when rich.

  • Hugh G Rection on 28/07/2023 - 22:36
    +2

    nope. chances are slim to win every day. it being more doesn't motivate me to lose my money, lol.

  • screensaver on 28/07/2023 - 23:19
    +1

    the lott has a new way to play, store syndicates starting at iust $1. I am figuring out how to get the best bang for my buck. The problem is I still tend to go a bit overboard and buy quite a few tickets

    • star-ggg on 29/07/2023 - 16:54
      +2

      There's no bang for your buck. Every $ has an equal reward probability. What the syndicates do, however, is increase your chance of winning something. That's why I buy the syndicates with the largest pool of money. I'm happy to have a much higher chance of winning $1m than practically no chance of winning $100m

      • aliam on 29/07/2023 - 19:13
        +1

        Exactly. I looked at the probability and cost per ticket years ago, and it was the same for all ticket options. So unless things have changed, i just stick to buying the minimum number of games for a bit of hope and that's it. Don't waste money buying multiple games.

        30 years my maths teacher said the chance of winning is about the same as randomly dialing a phone number… and the person answering is yourself!

      • screensaver on 29/07/2023 - 19:29

        by that I mean some of the $1 syndicates have 5 powerhit games and some have 7. I choose the 7 and leave the 5.

        • star-ggg on 29/07/2023 - 22:02

          Yes same, again I rather share the $100m with 100 ppl with a much higher chance if winning

  • Stopback on 28/07/2023 - 23:28
    +3

    Lottery is opmium for the masses

    • Protractor on 29/07/2023 - 10:16
      +1

      No, social media is

      • teslacoil33 on 29/07/2023 - 16:37
        +4

        No, Ozbargain is

    • ssfps on 30/07/2023 - 02:00
      +3

      I prefer to think of opium as the opium for the masses.

      • GordonD on 30/07/2023 - 10:57
        -1

        What Karl Marx actually said was that religion is the OPIATE of the masses. Not the "opium".

        Heroin is the opiate of the masses.

        • smartazz104 on 01/08/2023 - 07:30

          Then what is the heroin of the masses?

  • DASHCAM NOW DUDE on 28/07/2023 - 23:59
    +6

    Just spend less than $5 for a ticket. That way, even you only win the smallest prize you're still in the black!

    You can't lose!*

    • coffeeinmyveins on 29/07/2023 - 09:40
      +6

      you never actually hear who “won” the major prize pool.

      Do you want to have their name and address?

      It’s always a man or woman from some random place

      As opposed to a rabbit?

      Lotteries are very tightly regulated in Australia. I'm not sure what you're suggesting.

        • illusion99 on 29/07/2023 - 17:10
          +6

          So because you’ve never experienced or know the actual winners in real life it must be a scam? I’ve never been to India so i am pretty sure those Indian people must be actors pretending to be from this make believe “India” country

          Think all of the money wasted on inventing a fake country

    • Protractor on 29/07/2023 - 10:16
      +1

      Leave your email address here and when I clean up on Thursday night, I'll flick you my details and a voucher for a coffee. (I am a man or woman and I live in a random place!)

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 29/07/2023 - 19:05
      +4

      you never actually hear who “won” the major prize pool. It’s always a man or woman from some random place…

      the last bloke who 'won' the entire 100m jackpot was from a shit hole known as bankstown - it is not a random place it is just a shit hole…..thats why when they asked him what he would do with the money he said by a bigger house in a better area

    • klonky on 30/07/2023 - 08:54

      My wife's grandfather won lotto in the 90s and used the money to buy several pubs. Definitely won more than 'a couple of thousand '.

    • coolbzk on 30/07/2023 - 17:14

      I agree, as we can calculate how many millionaires created by current lottory systems per year, and based on populations in Australia, someone should have heard some stories in these many years like who works in dealership and met that lucky guy who bought luxury car etc. , but never. I dont believe all the winnerw can keep such a low profile like this without bragging .

      • tonka on 02/08/2023 - 01:30

        Millionaire? Can millionaires still afford luxury cars? A million won't buy a decent home in Sydney.

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